Ocean View in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

U.S. Army Radar Site 11

By Don Morfe, May 29, 2013

1. U.S. Army Radar Site 11 Marker

Inscription.

U.S. Army Radar Site 11. . On March 12, 1941, the United States government purchased 10 acres of land here for the location of a mobile radar installation. Preparation of the site was completed the following summer. Construction was then commenced under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers. Following declaration of war in December 1941, work was accelerated. By the following February a radar unit and tower had been installed. One of 26 facilities of this type established along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia, it was formally designated as Radar Site 11. The installation was fully functional by June 1942. At the time of completion it consisted of 14 concrete block structures including living facilities for officers and enlisted men, Guard Posts, and other buildings necessary to operations. Initially designated as a mobile site, this was one of 10 of the original 26 locations to be converted to permanent status. Following conversion a building was constructed to house the radar equipment, which had been mounted on trailers and trucks for purpose of mobility. Equipment was upgraded, promoting extended detection capability. With the end of the war the property was declared to be surplus and sold. After decades of deterioration, the buildings were in ruin when the property was acquired by Carl M. Freeman Communities in the 1990s. All remaining structures were removed with the exception of the Pump House, which stands today as a visible reminder of the history and significance of Radar Site 11.

On March 12, 1941, the United States government purchased 10 acres of land here for the location of a mobile radar installation. Preparation of the site was completed the following summer. Construction was then commenced under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers. Following declaration of war in December 1941, work was accelerated. By the following February a radar unit and tower had been installed. One of 26 facilities of this type established along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia, it was formally designated as Radar Site 11. The installation was fully functional by June 1942. At the time of completion it consisted of 14 concrete block structures including living facilities for officers and enlisted men, Guard Posts, and other buildings necessary to operations. Initially designated as a mobile site, this was one of 10 of the original 26 locations to be converted to permanent status. Following conversion a building was constructed to house the radar equipment, which had been mounted on trailers and trucks for purpose of mobility. Equipment was upgraded, promoting extended detection capability. With the end of the war the property was declared to be surplus and sold. After decades of deterioration, the buildings were in ruin when the property was acquired by Carl M. Freeman Communities in the 1990s. All remaining structures

By Don Morfe, May 29, 2013

2. U.S. Army Radar Site 11 Marker

were removed with the exception of the Pump House, which stands today as a visible reminder of the history and significance of Radar Site 11.

Erected 2004 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number SC-183.)

Location. 38° 31.5′ N, 75° 6.5′ W. Marker is in Ocean View, Delaware, in Sussex County. Marker is on Magnolia Street. Touch for map. The marker is in the Bear Trap Dunes Community. Marker is in this post office area: Ocean View DE 19970, United States of America.

This is the Pump House. The only remaining building from the Radar Site. It is located a few feet down the path and into the woods.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on July 5, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 5, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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